Fallen For You
by Wushu
Summary: What happened after Hiccup fell off Toothless? How do the others really react?


Title: Fallen For You  
Rating: T  
Series: How to Train Your Dragon  
Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid  
Summary: What happened after Hiccup fell off Toothless? How do the others really react?  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to this series. The rights of the movie belong to DreamWorks and their partners, as well as the book's author, Cressida Cowell.

**AN:** Well, this is a first for me personally. I normally don't write fanfics based off of movies, normally just anime, video games and cartoons. But there was something about the characters in this film that just pulled me to it. While I have not read the books, I have seen and enjoyed the film very much. What follows below is my imagining of what happened in those missing scenes when Hiccup fell from Toothless' back through when he woke up. Additionally, I didn't like the way the film ended, there was a lack of resolution with the characters and the events that led up to the ending. So, I will change a few events in the story to better fit the way I feel the film should have ended. Enough of this rambling, on to the story.

.o.O.o.

Silence.

Pure, simple, unadulterated silence.

That was the only thing that he noticed as the world around him began to slow to a crawl. The smoke of the air, the wind rushing passed him, the flames as they crept up around him. None of that mattered, it was all just gray background noise, forgotten even as the image of Toothless diving for him faded out and his world became a realm of darkness.

As he fell, his mind began to shut down, protecting him from the inevitability of his death. The only thing he still had were his thoughts and feelings.

He had done it, with the help of his classmates and dragon friend; he had killed the Queen of the dragons. She had been the one responsible for all the raids on Berk, her insatiable appetite had driven the other dragons to attack the village for food in fear of their own lives. However, despite this feat he couldn't focus on the achievement. No, his mind was drawn elsewhere.

Despite the fact he had saved the village, he had still failed.

The unspoken promise to both Astrid and Toothless to return, to survive, to not let anything go wrong, had been broken the moment he fell off the back of his dragon. He hadn't explicitly made the promise to Astrid that day, the day of his final exam; because he knew beyond a doubt that it would in fact go wrong. Being who he was, how could it not? Hurtling toward the ground, he could only begin to pray for forgiveness from those of the village that he had wronged during his short life, many from the fact he merely existed, and pray that he was worthy enough to have a place at the table in Valhalla.

One by one, he began to ask for the forgiveness he sought.

From Gobber he asked to be forgiven for being a poor blacksmithing apprentice, often causing more work for the older Viking than he alleviated. Hiccup was sure that he had added a few too many gray hairs to Gobber's moustache due to his screw-ups.

From his classmates he asked that they remember what he taught them about the dragons, that they weren't the evil beings it had been assumed they were. His failure to them had been that he had dragged them into the battle that should have been his and Toothless' alone; their injuries were his fault and his alone.

One by one, person by person, he asked for forgiveness until he reached the final three, the most important people to him.

His father was the first. Hiccup had no illusions about himself; he had failed in more ways than one. Whenever he tried to help he only made the situation worse. He was clumsy, weak and scrawny. Everything a Viking wasn't supposed to be, Hiccup was. He had so disappointed his father that the man had disowned him, taking not just his home but his village as well, the ultimate rejection. He prayed that his father could find some value in his death. After all, hadn't the man told him often enough that death was par for the course of being a Viking? At least that was one thing Hiccup could do right, die like a Viking protecting his village, even if he had been disowned by his father and all but shunned, tormented and beaten by the people of that self-same village through out his short life.

Next on the list came Hiccup's dragon friend Toothless. He had failed the dragon from the moment he met him, by shooting him out of the sky with his bolo net he had condemned the dragon to a life grounded. Never again would the Night Fury fly on his own, now he would be grounded until someone else decided to take care of him and learn to use the artificial tail fin Hiccup had made to replace the one he had destroyed when he shot Toothless down, assuming anyone would care enough to take care of the dragon in his absence.

As he fell he couldn't help but think that everything would be better if Toothless had just killed him the day Hiccup had set him free. If that had happened the Vikings would be able to go on happily killing the dragons for the end of their days. They wouldn't have Hiccup to worry about anymore, so they could very well have found the nest on their own. He knew deep down in his heart that everything would have been better if he had just been killed by Toothless, or never even born.

Last, but in no way least, was the one girl he had loved above any other human, Astrid. True, he had loved her since he was a child, yet he had never once tried to make his feelings known. She was what a Viking should be; strong, fearless, coordinated, and beautiful, the polar opposite of what he was. She was a shieldmaiden, a female warrior, the perfect example of everything a Viking strived for, he knew where his place in society was and it was nowhere near her, or anyone else in the village for that matter. No, his place was likened to that of the sheep the Vikings kept, perhaps he was considered lower than they were for the sheep actually served a valuable purpose and existed for a reason, and Hiccup was hard pressed to say the same about himself.

For as long as he could remember Astrid wouldn't even speak to him, if he were hurt she would ignore him as though he weren't even there. It had seemed that his mere existence was an affront to her, such was made clear to him during the Dragon Hunting classes when she repeatedly punched, hit, kicked or bashed him, most often for no reason other than he was within 10 feet of her.

She had kissed him on the cheek, yes it was true, but that had been due to nothing but the heady feeling from having not only escaped to tell about the Queen of the dragons, but also the fact that she had been flying, something no Viking before them had ever done. The adrenaline had gone to her head and she hadn't been thinking straight, simple as that. His failing to her had been to even pretend that she could have any feeling for him other than hate and disdain. Hiccup knew that she would marry Snotlout and raise his children, that she would live happily ever after killing dragons, or not. He wasn't too sure about the dragon killing part now, but he had to assume the worst as he knew his time was growing short as the ground approached and the fingers of flame began to tickle his skin.

With a sigh he closed his eyes to the encroaching darkness and continued his fall, tears seeping out from the cracks in his eyelids.

"I'm sorry Father, Astrid, Gobber, Toothless, everyone. I wish I could have been a real Viking like you all wanted me to be, but I couldn't be. I'm sorry I failed you all. Toothless should have killed me when I freed him, then none of you would have to deal with my failures again."

As he softly spoke this into the wind, the words and sound stolen to heaven above, he felt a sharp tug at his left leg and then nothing but pain as he felt the fire begin to ignite his clothing. Thankfully darkness took him before he felt his skin begin to burn or felt the impact upon the solid object below him.

.o.O.o.

"He is going to be okay, right?" she asked the hulking man before her for what had to literally be the hundredth time.

With a gentle smile and a long-suffering sigh, the blacksmith/field medic/training instructor who went by the name of Gobber the Belch, answered her in a soothing manner. Well, as soothing as a Viking can be.

"Aye," he began as he laid his one remaining giant hand on her shoulder, "he'll be fine. He just needs to sleep it off. We've stopped the bleeding and managed to salvage as much of his leg as we could, the healers will have something left to work with. He'll have to adapt to the metal leg we make him, but what's a lost limb or two? It is an occupational hazard after all."

"The dragon," and the large man gestured toward the Night Fury with his hook, "did a good thing in searing his wound like he did, saved his life. He would have bled to death had the beastie not done so."

Astrid could only nod as she took this information in, tears lingering in the corners of her eyes. Not that she would ever admit that out loud, Astrid did _not_ cry. She ignored the tears as she turned her attention back to the dragon and young boy, no, young man, who were laid out on the rocking deck before her. Hiccup had proved his worth to the village many times over today, she could no longer think of him as a boy, he had proved himself a man in every sense of the word. Even as she watched, the Vikings around her tended to the pair's wounds as best they could with what was on hand. They had been prepared for injuries, or even deaths, but they had been ill prepared for an injury like Hiccup's.

The Vikings had to do all they could for the pair of heroes; they had risked their lives to save the rest of the village, even those who had tormented Hiccup day-in and day-out and had tried to kill Toothless. He and the dragon had put aside their own pain and instead focused on the greater good, defeating the Dragon Queen, which the Vikings had named the Green Death once they could think clearly.

Astrid watched as the same people that would have once tried to kill him tended to the minor wounds that the dragon had acquired. The entire time they administered to the fearsome beast his green, cat-like eyes were trained on his friend as the rest of the Vikings tended to Hiccup's burns and the stump of his left leg. Not once did the dragon even bat an eye at the bustle around him, so focused was he on Hiccup.

Turning her attention to the boy she had been so very wrong about, she watched as clean water was soaked into cloths and applied to the places that had been burned by the flames. She watched as those same cloths came away with dead and burned pieces of Hiccup's flesh, soaked red and yellow with blood and puss. Even in his state of unconsciousness she could tell he was in immense pain, his muscles contracting in silent agony as ripples of pain rolled across his body.

Sadly, the burns were the least of his injuries. In an attempt to save his life Toothless had tried to grab onto Hiccup's leg with his mouth. The result was for the lower part of his leg to not only be broken by the sudden stop but also to almost be ripped in two just below the knee. Seeing the amount of blood that HHescaped from the wound, Toothless had torn the rest of the now useless leg off and singed the stump to stop the blood flow.

The few surviving ships were almost back to Berk and whatever medical help the village could offer; soon Hiccup would be whisked away from the decking and taken to the healer's house. Astrid wasn't sure how much help they could be considering the condition of his injury, but she knew that any help they could give would go a long way toward his recovery, if he did indeed recover.

Even as she turned her mind away from the fact he would never be a full Viking again, if he lived, she moved to offer her help in tending his wounds.

.o.O.o.

All too soon the ships pulled up along side the stone piers of Berk, some of the more spry Vikings jumped to the dock to help moor the boats. Once the ships were secured to the docks and the bolsters were out, the planks were lowered and the battered men and women began to disembark. Most began to line the sides of the dock as Hiccup and Toothless were removed from the ship they had been on. Toothless had gently scooped Hiccup onto his back and was walking down the pier toward the steps leading up to the village.

Astrid could only follow along behind the dragon as he carefully carried his friend to the healer, the small procession of Vikings and dragon led by Gobber. As she stumbled along her mind couldn't help but reflect on all that had occurred in the past two days.

For starters she had realized what kind of person Hiccup truly was. She had been so wrong about him. Astrid had at first believed that he had only been trying to beat her and claim the top position in the class like the other students had, but he hadn't been. He had been trying to puzzle together the mystery of the dragons. Each class he had muddled through was another observation that he had to figure out. He couldn't be content with just knowing that dragons were evil and to be killed on sight, no, he had to try and compare what he was learning from Gobber to what he was seeing in his interactions with Toothless.

She quickly realized that he didn't want anything to do with the dragon hunting lessons they were having. He didn't want to kill the creatures he was learning so much about. He cared too much about them.

When she had discovered the fact he was hiding Toothless she had been ready to turn him in, let the dragon be killed and let Hiccup face whatever consequences there would be. But that was before, before she had been kidnapped and taken for the most exhilarating experience in her life. When she had been hung from the branch in that tree she had honestly thought that Hiccup and the dragon were going to leave her to die, well that the dragon would anyway; she knew Hiccup didn't have that part of the Viking mentality. But she had been wrong, oh how glad she was to have been wrong.

Instead of being left to die Hiccup had taken her onto the Night Fury's back and together they had soared through the sky. She, Astrid Hofferson, had been where no Viking before her had been, flying. Of course Hiccup didn't count as he would never be considered a true Viking. But then again, how valid was that thought now that he had offered his life for the village? She thanked whatever god was listening that his offering had been rejected, that he would be able to fly with her again someday, or so she prayed. The possibility that he wouldn't be able to fly alongside her was a thought she refused to think of. He would pull through, he _had_ to.

She still couldn't get past the fact that she had actually touched a cloud, that she had skimmed the waters surrounding the island, and that she had flown over the village as the moon rose behind her. The moonlight casting a silvery glow over everything before her, even the scrawny boy she'd once hated. His brown hair had taken on a sheen of silver like molten lead, his face was even paler in the light, his freckles standing out in sharp relief to his almost corpse like complexion.

She realized, as she wrapped her arms around his waist that she loved this feeling of freedom. The overwhelming joy that came with flying was … indescribable. Yet part of that joy, she would later realize when she watched him plummet from the sky, was due in a very large part to the boy she had held onto that night. Hiccup had opened her eyes to a whole new world, not just a world where dragons weren't the enemy, but where she didn't have to be the tough, cold and hard Viking she had believed she had to be. Instead, he showed her that she could be herself and that it was okay, a world where it was safe for her to love.

Yes, she had said it, well thought it anyway, _love_. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she knew when she realized it. She had known she loved Hiccup when she had wrapped her arms around him on their flight and rested her head on his shoulder; her suspicions had been confirmed and driven home when he fell from the sky following his battle with the Green Death. At that moment in time her heart had been in her throat, her stomach had developed a ball of lead, and fear and panic like she had never known assaulted her as he fell. Perhaps she had always cared for the weak young man who was always there to help when needed, even if his help often caused more damage than it relieved. But then again she may never know, and now that she thought about it that wasn't such a bad thing, the not knowing.

She realized that she was content in that aspect, not knowing when she began to understand her caring for the boy, only interested in the fact that she did. This idea brought a small smile to her face, she, Astrid the Great, had fallen in love with the most unlikely person. All through her life up to the night flight with Hiccup, she had been resigned to the fact that she would be forced to be with a man not of her choosing. As she looked around at the men near her age she knew she felt nothing for them in the way of love. She had accepted the fact the she might end up as wife to Snotlout, bearing his children and raising them. While she wasn't tickled pink by the idea she accepted it and was determined to make the best of it and whip him into what a true Viking should be. But that was before her flight. Now, after her midnight revelation, she could only imagine herself with Hiccup. He was the only person that dominated her mind, both waking and asleep. She couldn't explain it, but he had wormed his way into her heart without her even knowing it and she was okay with it. She was pretty sure that Hiccup wasn't even aware of the effect he had on her that night nor the fact that her heart belonged only to him.

Smiling to herself she imagined what their children would look like, probably a lot like Hiccup but more on the size of his father. They would have his russet brown hair and her sapphire eyes. Or perhaps her golden locks and his jade eyes. Either way they would be beautiful.

The small procession of Vikings had finally arrived at the healer's house. Behind her she could hear the sound of dragon wings as they beat against the air to land on the stony pavilion in the center of the village. Glancing behind her she could see only the dragons that she and the others had used in the attack, but she knew that there were more in the skies and hills around the village. On their faces she could openly read the concern they felt for both Hiccup and Toothless. She had never been close enough to a dragon to see if they had facial expressions, there had never been the time to notice when she was fighting for her life. She knew now that they could feel just as she felt and that they were worried for the young man that had freed them from the tyranny of the Dragon Queen.

Her musing was cut short.

As her mind had been wandering, her feet had continued walking. She didn't even realize it until she ran into the hand of Gobber.

"We can't go any further lass," Gobber only spoke once he noticed that she was no longer off in the clouds. "The healers have him now; all we can do is wait."

As she finally looked around she realized that they had indeed arrived and that Hiccup had been taken into the Healer's house. All around her the milling Vikings were beginning to drift off, not really sure what they should be doing. Before her were Stoick and Gobber, both men clearly showing worry. They too had realized that Hiccup may not live through the night.

Sitting in front of the door to the healer's was Toothless; his large head was wedged into the doorframe as best as he could, his eyes never leaving his motionless friend. Giving up the battle to remove the stubborn dragon, the healers accepted his presence and even induced him to help by lighting a fire in the hearth to heat the water and medical implements.

Looking around her, Astrid realized that she was lost at the moment. She had no idea what she should be doing. Her roving eyes met those of Stoick, his eyes were misted from unshed tears and she had a feeling that hers were as well. Before she knew what was happening her feet were moving toward the older Viking. Her arms wrapped around him as his went around her. Silently they shed their tears, both surprised and grateful when the wings of the Deadly Nadder that Astrid had ridden wrapped around them and shielded them from the eyes of their fellow Vikings.

.o.O.o.

They had done it, somehow, beyond all understanding; the healers had managed to save not only the remainder of Hiccup's leg, but Hiccup himself. Given the initial wound, he had lost a lot of blood; the dragon fire had managed to stem the flow just as Gobber had said.

The healers had managed to make a neat enough stump for a prosthetic to be used, a small mercy when all was considered.

It had been touch-and-go for a few hours, Hiccup had drifted close enough to death several times that the healers had called Stoick in to say last goodbyes. Yet each time he pulled back from the brink and fought his way back to life. He was a fighter at heart, a true Viking, fighting to hold on to what he loved; given the fact he had been disowned, spat upon and all but banished from the village it was anyone's guess what love he was fighting for. The only one who could answer that question was currently unconscious.

For hours the healers had worked to save Hiccup, in the end they had, and for that Astrid and Stoick would forever be thankful. But during those hours, given the amount of times he almost died; it had been the most terrifying time of her short life. She had retired back to her own home, her mother worrying over Astrid even as Astrid worried over Hiccup.

Once Hiccup had been stable enough to travel he had been moved back to his house. He rested as well as he could given the pain he was in, yet not once did he regain consciousness.

Currently Astrid sat next to his bed, her axe and a sharpening stone in hand as she absently ran the stone over the edge. While her body went through the motions of sharpening, her mind was elsewhere, currently it was on the young man in the bed beside her.

Whenever Astrid was home she couldn't help but want to be in the exact position she was in now, watching over Hiccup for any sign of his waking. She and Stoick had been changing off shifts every few hours, grabbing sleep when they could, eating meals only when Gobber brought them.

Not once during the hours, days, and eventually week, following his surgery had he regained consciousness. Yet during those days there had been tremendous change in the village of Berk, change thanks entirely to Hiccup and Toothless.

Vikings, having taken their cue from Astrid and the other trainees, had begun to befriend the dragons using the techniques Hiccup had shown the others. Currently the other trainees were organizing the villagers interested in riding into groups based upon which type of dragon they bonded with, so far Hiccup had the only Night Fury. From there the villagers would be trained in basic flight by the trainee that rode the same dragon. Anything needed for more in depth care would have to be learned as they went or taught when Hiccup woke up.

Astrid helped as best she could from where she had positioned herself at Hiccup's bedside, a fact that required those with questions to come to her. Each time they sought her out it drove home and reinforced the sacrifice the boy in the bed had made so that they could enjoy their new life with the dragons. She would answer whatever she could about dragon care, but would always defer to Hiccup's knowledge and the fact he knew more about the nature of the dragons than any other person alive. Her response wasn't what they wanted to hear, but they accepted it anyway and went away to learn on their own. Few people, if any aside from Stoick, Gobber and herself, believed that Hiccup would wake up.

With a sigh she put her axe down, returning the sharpening stone to her pouch. Glancing over to Hiccup she gave a small smile and another sigh. Moving closer to his head she took a bowl of water and a cloth in hand. Dipping the cloth in the water she gently squeezed the drops into his mouth, never enough to choke him, just enough to keep him hydrated. The same procedure was repeated with a meat broth packed with herbs the healers said would help him heal.

After a few minutes she sat the bowl down, her hand traveling to his face. Gently she ran her hand over the unblemished surface of his face. He had been lucky; the fire from the demise of the Green Death had only burned his body, leaving his face and neck unscathed. As her hand traced his jaw line she couldn't help but note how thin he had become. He had always been scrawny, but to look at him now he appeared as a skeleton with skin, like a wraith from a Celtic tale. She didn't want to see this Hiccup; she wanted the clumsy and caring Hiccup back, the one that radiated health and life. She wanted the Hiccup she fell in love with back, the young man who cared more for others than himself, who willingly gave of his own flesh, blood and bone to save them all.

Withdrawing her hand she moved to stand before a rustling sound from behind her caught her attention. Turing she found Toothless shifting his position near the hearth, one green eye watching her even as the other remained closed in the beginning of sleep. She had almost forgotten that the dragon was there, he had been so quiet.

"Hey Toothless," she said with a smile as she retrieved her axe from the bedside and placed it in the harness on her back. Extending a hand to the dragon's warm head she began to stroke him behind the ear. His eyes rolled shut as he leaned into her hand. She was amazed by this action every time! To think that this was a ferocious Night Fury, a creature that had once been used to help keep naughty children in line. This animal was as far removed from that terrible image as Hiccup was from a normal Viking.

She had mentally began to think of him as a true Viking, in her mental readjustments to accommodate that idea she had to rethink her image of the other Vikings, so she had decided to simply refer to them as normal. She had a feeling that Hiccup would approve of the change, he had never fit in as normal and had known that he never would, but to be labeled as a _true_ Viking, that is what he had always wanted, to belong. He had always been special in his own way, from his inventions to the fact that he was too thin for a Viking, little things that made him one-of-a-kind. Perhaps those differences had been what attracted her to him, maybe it was the fact that he didn't try to court her like Snotlout did, or interject his knowledge at the worst time like Fishlegs. Not Hiccup, he didn't do any of that, he kept to himself. What he did do was something she wasn't used to, he tried to be her friend.

She knew that he liked her; it was obvious in the way he looked at her and tried to interact with her. She also knew that he had realized he had a snowball's chance in a blacksmith forge of being anything but a friend to her or any other girl, if he even had a chance at friendship in the first place. Knowing that his future was slated to be loveless and alone, he still poured himself into living as best he could. While his life may have been a living hell, he was determined that the life of those around him would be better.

Growing up he never had any friends, he had been isolated and alone. Not even his cousin Snotlout would talk to him unless he needed something from Hiccup, yet more often than not Snotlout would rely on force rather than words to get what he wanted. Despite the fact he had no friends, Hiccup still tried to be a friend to the others, to her, and she had rejected him time and time again. Her mind couldn't even begin to imagine what that kind of isolation and rejection could do to a person. No wonder he was always trying to prove himself to be a real Viking, trying to create a place for himself somewhere in the world.

Well, he had found his place, on the back of a Night Fury and at her side. She had always been thankful that he was nothing like his cousin; she didn't think she could handle two people like Snotlout hitting on her all the time. She had been shown the true nature of the boy that was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and she found that she liked what she saw. He seemed to compliment her rougher edges, bring out her feminine side. For everything that she was, he wasn't and the reverse was true for him. They were a perfect match, strengths covering the weaknesses of the other, everything that a lasting relationship should be. Now all she needed was for him to wakeup so that she could tell him that.

"Well," she said to the Night Fury as she gave him a final pat on the head, "Stoick will be here soon. I have to go now, or else I'll be forced home, again. Goodnight Toothless."

Toothless only settled his head on his paws and returned to sleep, ignoring Astrid now that her petting had ceased.

Leaving the dragon she went to stand beside Hiccup's bed again, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Smiling once again she softly leaned down and gave him a tender kiss, her supple lips brushing against his slightly cracked lips.

Glancing to the side to see if Stoick and Gobber had entered without her knowing she gave a small smile when she noted their absence. Moving her mouth to Hiccup's ear she whispered the same thing she had told him each time she had to leave, a phrase that was as far from her old personality as Hiccup was from his father, at least on the outside. On the inside it was something she thought fairly often since Hiccup had been wounded, but no one would ever catch her saying it out loud.

"Please wakeup soon."

Straightening again she strode from the room, closing the door quietly behind her. As she left she passed Stoick and Gobber on the path, nodding to them as she did, both men were glad to see her going home to eat and sleep, and of her own will and power this time.

"She's a fine lass," Gobber said as he and Stoick entered the house.

"That she is. She'll make some young man very happy one day."

"Aye, but you and I both know she already has her eye on one specific lad," Gobber replied as he took the stool that Astrid had just vacated. Stoick had positioned himself near the window, eyes searching the moonlit night for answers to his son's fate. Behind both men, Toothless continued to sleep, unconcerned about the new additions to the room. He knew they wouldn't pet him anyway.

"I had noticed, along with the rest of the village. I believe the only one unaware of her current feelings is Hiccup. But that's also the problem, isn't it? Where did these feelings come from? Why him, why now?"

"Why do I get the feeling that half those questions aren't related to Astrid?" Gobber asked as he switched his hook out for a new design that allowed him to hold the cloth for Hiccup.

"Astute as always old friend," Stoick answered with a snort, arms crossing over his chest even as he turned to watch Toothless as he slept.

For a moment he was silent as he watched the dragon.

"So much has changed," Stoick began as his eyes swept to room to land on Hiccup. "All because I didn't listen to him, I just brushed him aside like a pile of discarded bone."

"Aye, that you did," Gobber said even as he dribbled water into Hiccup's mouth. "But, we all are guilty of that. Not a single person in the village would listen to him. When he had an idea to improve something I'd brush him off and ignore him. He was always rejected Stoick. His entire life was nothing but rejection, from me, Astrid, the other villagers, even you."

"I know," Stoick replied as he came to stand behind Gobber, his eyes locked on the frail Hiccup the entire time. "I was too busy being the Clan Chief to be a father to him; he was always the last thing I cared about. Until," he paused to take a deep breath. "Until he began to get good in the arena, began to prove that he was a Viking and at that time I realized I was proud of him. From the moment he took his first breath of life to that day, I had never been proud of him for anything he did; he was always … a failure. But that one thing, being able to hunt and kill a dragon, that was something I could be proud of, something that proved he was my son."

At this point Stoick had all but fallen onto a nearby chair, one large hand running the length of his face even as the other rested on the chair arm.

"I can't help but wonder how much would be different if I had only listened to him about the dragon, if I had cared for him as a father should, as a son and not a burden to be rid of."

"There is no way to know," Gobber replied with a shrug as he wiped Hiccup's forehead, the grips of the fever he had suffered since the surgery finally beginning to abate. Somehow, despite all precautions, his leg had gotten infected. His body had been fighting it since he had left the healers, and only now did he show signs of improving.

"All I do know is that when he wakes up he will have much to adapt to. We," at this point Gobber gestured toward the village, "will have to help him as best we can."

For a moment Stoick fought the urge to say 'you just gestured to all the village' before the gravity of the situation caught up to him.

"You mean _if_ he wakes," Stoick commented as his hands fell into his lap.

"Stoick," Gobber began as he turned to face his friend, hand pointing in the direction Astrid had gone. "That young girl believes with all her heart that Hiccup will wake up. How can she, a person who hated him for all her life, have faith when his own father doesn't?"

Stoick was silent for a moment as he framed his answer, head hanging as he finally replied.

"It always come back to Astrid when it involves Hiccup doesn't it?" He asked rhetorically before staring at his clasped hands for a moment. "Because she was able to finally see beyond what everyone else saw and found the real Hiccup, and now she has feelings for my son thanks to what she found. Feelings we still don't know the source of."

"Aye," Gobber replied with a nod, a small smile showing. "Perhaps her feelings were always there, maybe they weren't, but the important thing is that they are there now, she may not even know where they came from. But that doesn't matter, what does is that that is what he needs to heal, people to believe in him and care about him. We may have failed him as he grew, but we can make it up to him when he wakes, and I'd be willing to bet my remaining leg that that young girl is willing to spend the rest of her life making it up to him."

"You're right," Stoick said as a fire began to form in his eyes. "We can be what he needs now, despite our actions of the past we'll give him the future he deserves!"

.o.O.o.

The day following the conversation between Stoick and Gobber, Astrid began to notice changes in the village. Small things that would normally go unnoticed but since they all happened at the same time, they were plainly obvious.

As she glanced around at the shops and houses she noticed an increase in ramps and steps. At first she was curious as to why they were being installed but it finally hit her, they were to accommodate Hiccup when he awoke and had to get around on his prosthetic leg.

While this realization sank in she had to fight the overwhelming urge to cry. Since she had discovered that she loved Hiccup her emotions had been a wreck and it was all his fault. Having to watch as he almost died saving them all and then running the chance of not waking up due to the injuries he obtained from, once again, saving them all was too much for her emotions to handle. Several nights she had cried herself to sleep when it appeared that Hiccup might not live through the night. Each day following was another nerve-wracking experience as she came to grips that he had survived the night prior and would live through the day.

Now, as she stood watching the villagers modify their homes and shops to accommodate Hiccup's injury she was overcome with a similar feeling as to when she knew that Hiccup had lived through the night. Try as she might she couldn't help the watery smile that crept onto her face as she watched the construction going on around her.

"It's something to see, eh lass?" Gobber asked as he stood beside her, his good hand resting on her shoulder in comfort. Astrid could only nod dumbly as she took it all in.

"Why?" she asked. The simple word slipping from her lips almost like a prayer.

"Stoick and I were talking last night," he began as he absently scratched his chin with his hook. "We decided to try and make up for how we have treated Hiccup in the past. Figured making it easier for him to get around was the least we could do after he saved all our lives."

Silence reigned for a few moments before Astrid spoke.

"When did the others start believing he would wake up?" she asked as the pair continued to watch the construction efforts of the villagers.

"Well, they still don't." Gobber admitted with a rueful shrug.

"Then why…"

"Because _you_ gave Stoick the faith to believe in his son. From there he led the way for the others to at least hope Hiccup will wake up."

"Me?" Astrid asked in shock, surprised by the turn of the conversation.

"Aye. You lass," Gobber replied with a chuckle and a little shake of her shoulders. "Your love for Hiccup- which we all know about by the way- and that you refuse to even consider the fact he might never wake have inspired the others to at least try. If he doesn't wake then there are now easier ways to get things into the buildings, but if he does he'll have help when he needs it."

Astrid was silent for a moment as she took this revelation in.

"Gobber," she began but had to stop as her throat closed up. Did this make her a bad Viking, these emotions? No, she thought as she knew the answer that Hiccup would give if he were asked, it made her human. With that thought in mind she hugged the big man beside her before taking off toward Hiccup's house.

As she ran off, Gobber couldn't prevent the smile from creeping onto his face. "Ah," he said with a chuckle and a sigh, "young love."

With that comment he turned to return to his shop, he still had a few projects to take care of.

.o.O.o.

It wasn't more than a week later when Hiccup, beyond the belief of a select few, finally woke up. The reaction he received was overwhelming, especially for the boy who had been exiled not long before the battle.

As it was, he appeared to be taking the reactions in stride. He accepted the prosthetic that Gobber had made with a mournful look on his face. The irony of his missing leg was not lost on him, it was the same side that toothless was missing.

Hiccup had managed to hold out his strength for a few hours before the crowd had to be told to go home. Currently he was upstairs in his room resting; the adrenaline from Astrid's kiss and the rest of the day had finally worn off.

Astrid, however, was still lingering on the memory of the kiss and the young man that had received it.

She had just pushed her way through the crowd of well-wishers, most obviously surprised that Hiccup had indeed awoken. Once Astrid had reached the center of the crowd her breath caught in her throat. The emotions she had been feeling for the past few weeks came flooding back at the sight of Hiccup truly alive and walking around, mostly, he relied heavily upon a staff that Gobber had fashioned for him to use until he was used to the leg. Upon seeing the boy that had stolen her heart and given the overwhelming emotions she was feeling at the time, her actions were perfectly understandable. She walked right up to Hiccup and hit him on the shoulder, her response to his unasked question of why was simple; "that's for scaring me." What happened next would be recorded in the annals of history for times to come. Before he could even comment on how much he hated getting hit she had grabbed his tunic and pulled Hiccup toward her, their lips locking in a mind-blowing kiss that lasted for several seconds. Upon releasing him and stepping back a bit Hiccup mumbled something along the lines of getting used to it. Astrid had a smile on her face the rest of the day, Hiccup hadn't been much better. Hiccup had floated through the festivities of the day before his strength gave out and he returned home.

With the memory of that moment deeply rooted in her mind, Astrid made her way up the stairs to check on him, a smile planted firmly on her lips as she did so. Knocking gently a few times, only to receive no reply, she pushed his door open only to stop in shock at the scene before her.

His room, while normally cluttered in an organized manner, was currently trashed. There were torn sketches and articles of clothing thrown all over, some were even ripped to pieces. What stood out was the fact that Hiccup wasn't there. It took her a moment to realize that the pack he normally took during his many outings to the forest wasn't there, either.

It took her brain a moment to process this information. Almost before she realized it her feet took off, her body knowing the direction he had gone before her mind could even register the fact he was gone.

Setting a new personal record, Astrid made it to the blacksmith's shop in next to no time at all. While the hour was late and there should be no lights on in the shop, Gobber was currently swimming in the bottom of a mug or two of ale, there was a small light flickering from the window. Pushing the door open she entered, not sure of what she would find.

"Hiccup?" she called into the darkness of the shop, the flickering candle casting poor illumination. The forge was currently cold, the embers glowing with a red light that reminded her of the first time she had ridden Toothless when she and Hiccup had discovered the Green Death. The memory didn't help to dispel the dread that the candle light created.

"Hiccup!" she called again, worry beginning to rise within her.

Her only response was the sound of rustling papers as a limping figure detached itself from the shadows surrounding the forge. Slowly it approached her, unsteady on its feet, looking as though it was just learning to walk, weight mostly supported by a wood staff. In a way it was true, Hiccup had to relearn how to use a prosthetic to get around and to coordinate it with his remaining natural leg, soon he wouldn't need to use the staff to help support his weight.

Stumbling a bit as the metal of the foot caught an uneven plank; he was able to recover before she could even raise her hands or move to catch him.

The silence that followed swallowed them both whole, the only noise was the sound of their breathing and the strange metallic _clink_ and wooden _thump_ that now followed Hiccup.

As he approached she noticed his pack swinging from his right arm, creating a counter-balance for his weight. Behind him the embers continued to glow and the candle flickered, their combined light created a truly hellish atmosphere and allowed Hiccup to look less like himself and more like a demon as he approached.

"Hiccup," she breathed in relief as she raised her hand to touch his arm. She was startled to have the hand ignored and brushed off as he limped passed her, a second pack filled with papers slung across his back, the tanned leather carelessly knocking into her as he passed.

"Hiccup?" she called out to him as he continued to ignore her, her anger beginning to build as he did so. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving," he replied without stopping or turning to regard Astrid.

"Do you need any help getting home?" she asked knowing that his body was still in shock from all that had happened.

He only shook his head before answering.

"I'm not going home, I'm leaving. Don't you remember? I have no home now, I was exiled and I intend to leave tonight."

"But, Stoick…" she began only to be cut off as he turned to face her, rage the likes of which she had only seen on his father clouded Hiccup's eyes. This rage was mixed with something else she couldn't place, some nagging emotion she should recognize.

"The chief made his opinion very clear when last we spoke at length. He swore that I wasn't his son, nor was I a Viking. Therefore I have been exiled, a point which you yourself made perfectly clear the day we fought the Green Death."

She shivered at the anger and sadness that poured from him in waves, their force causing her to retreat as he took a step toward her.

"You remember that conversation don't you?" he spat, only waiting for her nod before continuing. "That conversation changed nothing! Nothing but losing a leg and getting my best and only friend back."

Hiccup had to pause for a moment to rein in his anger, he knew the girl before him wasn't at fault, she was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time and Astrid didn't deserve the anger directed at his father. Taking a few calming breaths he continued.

"Now, while I was unconscious… I dreamed of you Astrid. I dreamt of many things about you, but do you know the one dream I held onto, the one dream that helped me to survive?"

Once again she was rendered speechless at this new and terrifying Hiccup, this wasn't the man she had fallen in love with, this was a monster! Even with his anger visibly diminishing, his apathy was shaking her to her core; all Astrid could do was shake her head in response once again.

"I dreamt that you told me you loved me, we began dating and things were wonderful…" Hiccup grasped for words a moment, "a horrible joke isn't it? I know you could never love me, no one could. Do you know what I did find when I woke? I woke to find this," his gesture took in not only his new leg but the village as well, his voice dripping with venom, "and do you know what the first words out of the chief's mouth were? Nothing, absolutely nothing."

Hiccup took a step toward Astrid, his words coming fast with fiery fervor. "He didn't recant his banishment; claim me as a son once again. No, he just stood there and said nothing as Gobber explained all that had happened to me. Do you know what that's like? What it feels like to have your whole world stripped from you twice in one lifetime?"

He only stopped advancing on her when her back hit the shelf of the forge, the red light making his face even more demonic than it was before.

"No," he said with a sigh, the rage draining from him completely as depression took its place. "No, you have no idea what it's like; you still have your family to go home to, a family that loves you, a family you never disappointed by just being born."

With a sigh he backed away from her and turned to face the door. For a minute or two he only stood there unmoving, Astrid could feel the hope begin to well up in her at his hesitation. Maybe he was going to stay after all. But sadly he began to walk again, his limp hindering the swift exit Astrid was sure he wanted. He did stop for a moment as he reached the door, but her hopes were dashed once again as he only turned to speak over his shoulder to her.

"Goodbye, Astrid. May your life be long and your children all fair-haired. Give Snotlout my regards; I'm sure your wedding will be beautiful."

He shrugged the packs into a more comfortable position and tightened his furs around his body. Hiccup was about to place his hand on the door handle when his world went dark once again.

.o.O.o.

The sound of a sharpening stone against a blade pulled him from the darkness; it was a sound he had become quite familiar with in recent days. There was only one person he knew who sharpened their blade in the manner he knew was being used, Astrid. She had a habit of roughly and quickly running the stone over the blade of her ax when she was upset, and by the speed she was using she was really upset.

Stifling a groan as the slight movement of his turning head caused the bump on the back of his head to throb. The sore spot was no doubt from where Astrid had hit him, at the sound of his muffled groan, the ringing of stone on metal ceased.

Lifting a hand to his forehead, he heard the sound of stone and blade come to rest against wood.

"Finally awake I see," Astrid commented with a mixture of anger and fear lacing her words as she shifted forward in her chair, the wood creaking at her movement. "I hadn't expected you to be out so long. But then again, I did hit you with a pair of long handled tongs."

"They're called Box Jaw tongs," he explained as he slowly opened his eyes and carefully turned his head to look at her.

"What?" she replied with a tilt of her head.

"The tongs you hit me with, they're called Box Jaw tongs, used for holding the steel for making knives. But that's not important," he said with a sigh as he pushed himself up to rest against the wall of his workshop in the forge. "What is important is why you decided to hit me with them in the first place."

"Why?" Astrid echoed in shock as she sat back in her chair, eyes wide with anger. "You were leaving, that's why!"

"I do believe that I have the right to leave if I want to," he replied simply as he stared at her.

"Not when you plan on leaving the village forever, you don't."

"Oh?" he asked as he continued to watch her, "why is that? What's here for me? For years you have beat me up, both emotionally and physically. You've laughed at me behind my back and to my face. You've even exiled me, so please tell me Astrid, what reason is there for me to stay?"

"I know your father apologized to you that day of the battle. He told you he was proud to call you son, I know he said that, he told me himself. I also know he was relieved to see you back in the world of the living when he greeted you. He cares about you Hiccup, we all do."

"Does he now?" Hiccup asked with a smile that was too malicious to be on his face. "You're right Astrid, he did say that. He did say he was proud of me, but you know what he didn't say? 'Welcome back to the tribe, you're one of us. You have a home to belong to once again.'" He spoke with gestures and posture mimicking that of his father. "No, not once did he say anything that would even make me think that, all he did was comment on how I tried my best to die but failed at even that simple task. Why did he do that I wonder?" He paused for a moment to let that thought sink in.

"The same reason you never stopped the others from hurting me, even though you knew it was wrong. Heck, it's for the same reason you took such pleasure in hurting me that day at the lake when you met Toothless; you don't care. The only reason you don't want me to leave is guilt. If I left you wouldn't be able to justify the way you had treated me all those years, a few days of kindness does not wash away a life time of pain."

"You honestly believe that, don't you?" she said in a stunned and gentle voice, a combination he had never heard her use.

"Yes," he replied as he stared her right in the eyes, "Yes, I do, with every fiber of my being. I have nothing to prove me wrong."

"Do you know how many people believed that you wouldn't wake up? Almost every single person in the village, even your dad, believed that you would die."

"I'm so sorry I disappointed all of you," he said with a roll of his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I said _almost_ everyone Hiccup." She was firm about this. "Now stop sulking and pay attention. I never stopped believing you'd wake, and neither did Gobber. Between the two of us we took turns watching you as you recovered. Eventually Gobber was able to convince Stoick you'd wake. From what Gobber told me it was my example that inspired Stoick to believe."

Hiccup was quiet for a moment and in that time Astrid felt her hope rise only to be dashed by his next words.

"Now tell me again… why did you and Gobber stayed with me. Was it the guilt, the lack of closure on my part? Maybe the fact that Gobber would be losing an apprentice and didn't want to train up a new one? What about you Astrid, what was your guilt? Was it the fact you stood by and did nothing while the only thing I loved was ripped from me by my own father? Was it the fact you were so cruel to me over the years and needed to apologize, or some such nonsense, to clear your conscience?"

Hiccup's intensity was now fully focused on her. "Please Astrid, enlighten me as to the real reasons you watched over me, I know it's not because you cared, I would know, I've cared about you for years. One flight on Toothless, that's all it took for you to realize that you suddenly care about me? I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe."

During his small speech he had turned to kick his legs off the small bed he kept for the late nights in the forge, the metal of his prosthetic clanging like the echo of battle as it hit the stone floor. His natural foot made a more subdued thump as it joined its metallic mate on the stone.

"What would make you realize that you don't care and it was all just a misunderstanding, a walk through the forest, a swim in a lake, or perhaps a piece of bad fish?"

Once his feet were settled, his arms came to rest on his knees, his face buried in his hands for a moment before he began to speak again, Astrid, for her part, had remained silent through his entire rant, whether it be from guilt or another reason Hiccup knew not.

"I'm so tired of being a failure, of not even being able to step out my front door without the rest of the village running in terror from the damage I have _yet_ to cause. Some people are always late for the events of life, I was never even invited. Do you know why I wear long sleeves when no other Viking on Berk does? It's to hide the bruises and scars from being beaten up by all sorts of Vikings in the village, not just you guys. Did you ever wonder why I was late arriving anywhere after I had screwed up somehow? It's because I was being beaten by whomever I had done anything to- okay, okay… not everyone did that, but enough people did."

His confession wasn't over, and he hadn't dared to look up from his hands to look at Astrid while he spoke. "Haven't you ever wondered why I was so sarcastic and nonchalant about pain, why I would involuntarily flinch whenever anyone raised a hand toward me, even if not in anger? You'll know pain when you have to learn how to set your own broken ribs at the age of 6 and then learn how to hide that injury from everyone else. I mean really, how big of a failure can a person be to _not die_ when they wanted in their heart of hearts just to do that simple task and make everyone happy?"

He had to stop to collect his thoughts and emotions; he had gone from being angry at Astrid preventing him from leaving to depressed about not dying. He had to take a moment to center himself.

"The healer mentioned something once, while you were delirious with fever," Astrid's soft voice broke through his meditations and forced him to look up from his hands at her. "She said that she had seen stronger men die from less because they just gave up, but not you. You fought to wake up for some reason, no one knew why or for what, they just knew you were still alive. All I know is that I was thankful that you were still alive each time I came to watch over you."

She stopped for a moment to place her hand on his shoulder, the action causing him to flinch and pull away from her before she could even touch him. With a sigh she continued speaking, hand falling to her lap.

"I know I have treated you poorly in the past, that I've hurt you. For that I am truly sorry and I know no amount of words can ease the pain you've been through or heal the scars. In the past, you have been a failure, but you're not anymore. You're a hero now, you saved all of us. You are what a true Viking should be. I know you Hiccup, I saw it in you the night we had our flight, the same one that changed my opinion of you. I know you, Hiccup."

Astrid's hands clenched into fists in her lap, her eyes never once leaving Hiccup. "You'll fight for what you believe in, even if it means losing everything and everyone you love, even if it means losing those that love you. While you were sick you fought, you fought to get better and no one could even begin to guess why. I don't know why you fought; all I know is that it wasn't to act like this."

"You're right Astrid," his muffled voice said from within his hands.

"I am?" she replied with some surprise.

"You are, I didn't fight back to end up like this. I don't know why I fought to hold on, all I can remember is a feeling, a warmth. _Sigh_. I felt … safe, protected … loved. I fought because I felt wanted, even if for just a moment."

"You are wanted Hiccup, the whole village wants you now. They need you to help with Dragon Training." She said with a small amount of hope returning.

"I didn't mean wanted in a useful way, I meant wanted in a loved way."

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah," he answered as he stood to his feet and began pacing, or as good of pacing as he could manage without his staff. "Oh is right, who could ever love me? I mean I've failed at everything I've ever done except screwing up, that's my only achievement in life, being a failure. I failed my father by being born. I failed Toothless by shooting him out of the sky. I failed you by even thinking you could feel anything but hate for me. I could go on and on, after all who would ever care about a walking, talking, fish bone?"

During his pacing Hiccup had been staring at the floor as he gestured and vented, now that he had finished with this part he turned to begin a new rotation of pacing and ranting. However, as he did he came face-to-face with an angry Astrid Hofferson, nothing new or different for him.

"Now you listen here Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, I am through listening to you belittle yourself like this, so let's make a few things clear. First, the others may have hurt you in more ways than I can even begin to consider, but from this moment on I can guarantee you that there are several people and dragons who will always be there for you should you ever need them." Her angry blue eyes were just getting closer, and this made him take his first step backwards.

"Second, you may have been a failure, but you are still a hero to this village. All the changes that have been made, the ramps, the dragons, the happiness, are all _because of_ and _for_ you. Third, you may have injured Toothless and made him dependant on you, but you didn't fail him, you freed him. Toothless and the other dragons are now free from the tyranny of the Green Death because of you. Let me tell you right this minute, I for one am glad you were born, I know Stoick is as well!"

During this litany she had been pushing him backwards until he came to rest against the wall of the workroom, the candle beside him casting flickering light on her face, making her more beautiful than before.

"You also need to know that I don't hate you, Hiccup. You know that flight we went on? It awakened in me feelings and emotions that had long been buried in favor of being a Viking. That night you showed me that it was safe to be honest with myself and that I didn't have to be the best Viking in order for people to like me, I just had to be me. I can never thank you enough for that, if nothing else. I learned another thing that night, aside from everything about Dragons being wrong. I learned that it was safe to care about other people and that it was okay to love someone."

Hiccup could feel what remained of his heart shatter at the last statement. Any hope he had of her caring for him in any way was gone. She had just admitted that she loved someone; she had no need for a failure in her life. So closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he spoke.

"Love?" he whispered out as he felt her presence move back a few feet.

"Yes," she answered back just as softly, "I'm in love with the greatest Viking Berk has ever known."

He knew that he had never stood a chance of having someone like her care about him, even if it was just as a friend. He knew he was lucky to even have Gobber as a friend, he also knew that he had no chance of finding a wife.

Being the failure that he knew he was, he knew that the Haddock line would die with him, he couldn't even count on Snotlout to carry on the name as he was Hiccup's cousin on his mother's side. Snotlout would only be able to carry on the Jorgenson family line; all he had to do was find a wife, which he apparently already had, add to that the fact he would be next in line for the position of Chief and Snotlout had it made. The Jorgenson line would carry strongly on while the Haddock line would die within this generation, if not sooner.

"I'm happy for you," he finally managed, his eyes still closed, this time they were fighting back tears, the pain adding another reason for him to leave. "I'm sure you and Snotlout will have a good life." Even as he said this he couldn't keep looking at her, the pain was too great. So turning his head away he continued. "I'm just sorry that the Haddock line will have to die with me, if only I could have been the Viking Dad wanted me to be." The last part of his congratulatory statement was meant to have been muttered solely under his breath, however it was still loud enough for Astrid to hear.

Suddenly he felt her presence appear before him, tensing in anticipation of being struck he was unprepared for what did happen. All thoughts fled as two arms encircled his neck and a pair of lips brushed against his. His eyes shot open in shock the instant he felt the featherlike touch.

"Astrid?" he was able to mumble, senses still in shock.

"Yes," she replied as she kept her arms in place, using her body weight to press him against the wall.

"What about Snotlout? You can't kiss me when you belong to another."

"Oh Hiccup," she said with a smile as she leaned her head against his chest. "It has never been Snotlout, it's always been you."

Hiccup closed his eyes at these words, hoping beyond all hope that they were true and not a dream or some sick joke. Sadly he knew that when he opened his eyes again it'd be to find Toothless staring at him following his coma, he knew that all this is nothing but a dream.

"How I've wanted to hear those words for so long," he said after a few moments, Astrid's head still resting against his chest. "But I know they're not real, that you're not real. This is all a dream brought upon by a fever induced delusion; after all, no one could love the village idiot."

"Hiccup," Astrid's voice called to him, "open your eyes, this is real. Open your eyes and see the person who does love you, even if you are an idiot."

Reluctantly he did open his eyes, his green landing on her blue. For a moment he was captivated by the beauty he saw before him. Her hair shone almost orange in the ember light, her eyes had become a stormy dark blue and her lips had become a crimson line across her face. Her perfect lips were only broken by the gleaming white of her teeth as she smiled at him, hints of her pearlescent teeth glinting at him.

"All… I can… _gulp_… I can see is you," he replied carefully after almost losing himself in the depths of her eyes, unaware of the effect he himself was having on the strong Viking girl. For her part, she too was fighting an almost losing battle with falling into his eyes. She saw so much pain and loneliness there, she was drawn to it like a moth to flame and her desire to erase those feelings from his eyes was overwhelming.

"That's all I want you to see Hiccup, me. I promise you, right here and now and before all the gods in heaven, I am sorry for the way I have treated you and offer my life in repayment."

"What are you saying Astrid?" he weakly asked, scared to hear an answer yet strangely begging for one.

"That I will give you my life to make up for all I and the others have done to you. I'm asking you if you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, would take me as yours, from this day forth."

Silence, much like that which had followed him into oblivion following the death of the Green Death, rose to surround the pair. All Hiccup could hear and sense was the beating of his heart, the air moving shallowly into and out of his lungs, the warmth radiating from where Astrid was pressing against him. He felt, upon closer notice, the feeling of her heart, beating in time with his own; her breath coming in even and full rhythm somehow matching his own shallow breathing breath for breath. He could feel it, through the connection created by her body pressing against his and her arms around his neck that they were in tune. For some unexplainable reason, both their bodies had become synced with each other in the short time they had been speaking.

For the brief moment that he had noticed this fact the world had slowed and lost all color. Now as the realization of her request hit him the colors and sounds came rushing back, had it not been for the wall he was sure he would have fallen. He knew what she was asking, but couldn't bring himself to even think it, he had to be dead or dying to be having this dream. He knew that acknowledging that which he most wanted, when it was offered in his dream, would break the spell of death and allow him to fully pass on to the other realm. Yet try as he might he knew he couldn't dismiss her request and not answer, he had never been able to deny her a thing before. With a mental sigh he accepted that which she had asked, that they would be married. With this confession he was ready to pass on, hoping he had found favor with at least one of the gods.

"You want to be married," he spoke out loud, the audible confession the missing key to the passing of souls. Having pronounced his death sentence he waited for the Valkyries or another bearer of souls to collect him for the afterlife. Needless to say he was surprised when all he found was Astrid still holding him just as she had been moments before.

"I do," she answered, her voice soft. Fear, although she would never admit it to any one, Astrid Hofferson was _not_ afraid of anything, especially a _boy_ and his answer, gripped at her hear and threatened to turn her blood cold. "I was so frightened when I thought I would lose you that I know I can't go another day worrying about you if you aren't with me. I want to be with you Hiccup; I want to make your life as good as you have made mine, even if I don't deserve it."

"Astrid," he whispered before his voice gained strength. "I want to be with you too, I love you. I… you know I do. I've loved you for years. But I can't, you deserve better than I can give you, I'm nothing. I'm a one-legged blacksmith apprentice, not even a journeyman or master, I have no real future. You need a man who will be able to provide you with all you could ever want." The aura of failure was radiating from Hiccup as said this, hearing and feeling it broke Astrid's heart, but not as much as his next words. "Please, I beg of you, find someone else to love and let me disappear in peace. Everyone will be better off if I did."

"I deserve a man I know will fight for what is right and will protect me with his dying breath. A man I know will be a good father to our children and a leader the people can look up to for years to come. Is that the kind of man I deserve, Hiccup?" She demanded with a hint of anger tingeing her voice.

"Yes," he replied after a moment to swallow to the tears that threatened to fall even as he gently undid her arms from around his neck and held them between them, trying to get some distance from her and the pain he knew was coming when she left. "That is exactly the person you need to find. If and when you find him I will be happy to bless the marriage, if I'm still here."

"That's what I thought," she answered with a smirk before throwing her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips. Breaking apart she placed her head against his chest once again and sighed happily. "Then I have found him, the man I want to be the father of my children. You are the one I want to give them russet hair and green eyes to mix with my own. You, Hiccup. You are exactly the man I want. No other could take your place. You're the son of the Chief, the next in line. You saved the village from a 300 year war with the dragons and brought peace with our once enemies. You opened my eyes and saved my heart from a lifetime of sorrow. You Hiccup, you are the one I want, no other."

At this point Hiccup had finally come to the conclusion that this was all real and happening to him. The final sign had been the mind-blowing kiss that had threatened to turn his one remaining leg into mush. This girl before him… this beautiful, talented, fearsome girl, wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and raise their children. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Hiccup had a brief moment of joy when he actually entertained the thought of marriage. The strange thing is that the moment had lasted longer than a brief glimpse; it was still going strong in his heart and mind.

"We," his voice cracked for a second before he gained control again, his arms coming up to wrap around her waist. "We'll have to speak to my father and arrange something with your parents."

"I know," she said from the folds of his tunic, a smile gracing her face as she took in the scent that was his and his alone. "But we can do that in the morning. For right now, can we just take a flight on Toothless; I don't care where so long as I'm with you."

Fighting back the smile, yet unable to keep the joy from his voice, he answered her with a hug even as he spoke.

"Of course, anything you want. Let's go find where that useless reptile got off to, we can talk more tomorrow."

Releasing her he made his way to where his staff had been left, removing the packs from his back he placed them on the table. Staring at them a moment before turning to Astrid, Hiccup extended his arm to her. She gladly took it and helped him to walk to the door of the forge.

While they both knew there would be difficulties on the road ahead, the closest being those of the details of the wedding arrangements between parents, they knew they would be able to get through the troubles together. Yet even as one adventure ended another began in much the same way as the first; a pair of teenagers soaring through the night sky on the back of a Night Fury, arms wrapped around the other for more than just the prevention of falling off. This time it was for the preservation of love. After all, much as when he had fallen from his dragon the first time he had fallen much harder for the girl now clinging to his waist. He knew that this was one fall he never wanted to stop.

The End.


End file.
